The American Library Association, in partnership with Spark Media, presents an innovative library outreach program to enhance and increase the nationwide impact of Spark Media’s documentary film, “Soul of a People: Voices from the Writers’ Project.” Major funding for the library outreach program has been provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The film and library outreach programs will acquaint public, academic and special library audiences with the story of the largest cultural experiment in U.S. history – the Federal Writers’ Project (FWP) of the Works Progress Administration – told against the backdrop of the Depression and 1930s America.

30 libraries will be selected to receive a $2,500 grant from the NEH to present five different public outreach programs during the period of the national broadcast of “Soul of a People” (Spring 2009). The grants will be used for scholar honoraria, book purchases, publicity and other program-associated costs. Libraries will be asked to enlist from a local college or university a lead project scholar with expertise in American history, the WPA and/or the WPA era, to help present and plan programs. The application and guidelines for “Soul of a People” and complete instructions for registering and applying can be found by clicking here. Deadline: July 11, 2008